We have recently had three comments about the Abbey Agency being extremely slow (like, taking up to a year) to deliver services that have been paid for. I have written to them, asking for their response - there may, of course, be perfectly adequate explanations. If anyone has any feedback, good or bad, on Abbey please let me know. The same applies to any agency or service which appears in the WriteWords Directory. As far as is humanly possible I keep entries up to date. The more information you give me the better the service will be.
Also, if you know of any relevant enterprise that is not in the Directory, please let me know, providing as much detail as you can. Thanks.
Richard (WW Directory Editor)

hello there,
i paid £80 to abbey in oct 03 when they asked to see the whole of my novel after liking the sample chapters. i am now at 6 months and i can't get an response from them by email or phone.

i have just read other complaints about them and am now writing a challenging letter to them. has anyone had anymore news?

thanks in advance
steve jansen

I spoke to a friend of mine yesterday, whose experience mirrors the above. She sent a full manuscript plus £80 to them in October and has since heard nothing.

Many thanks Sartori and Watson for the further information about Abbey - I have added another note to their Directory entry.
Richard (WW Directory Editor)

hi richard,
i have heard from the abbey agency. malcolm scott phoned to day and explained the avalanche of problems they have experienced in the last six months.

lack of readers, hundreds of sample chapters and no one to organise it all, a virus hitting the emails.

the agency have now ceased accepting submissions due to the back log. and i am assured that the problems will start to clear by the end of may. my novel is in its last week of readership and that has taken seven months so any one not hearing should do fairly soon.

malcolm scott sounds stressed but sincere, so i'm sticking with it for now.

regards all.

stephen jansen

Stephen,

Many thanks for the information. I'll put a note in the Abbey directory entry drawing people's attention to your addition to this forum thread.

Good luck with the novel!

Richard.

Hi Richard

I know this discussion is a tad old but I stumbled upon this after having trouble with Abbey Agency myself. I sent a cheque in August 2003 along with my manuscript and despite chasing them a couple of times have heard nothing. I even asked for my money back as I feel like I have fallen for the oldest trick in the book and am very disheartened by the whole event! Have there been any further developments?

Many thanks
Anton

<Added>

It's also strange that lots of people are having this problem because I was told that only a special select few are chosen to have their manuscript read and then given a report!

Yes, that might be suspicious and it might not. It depends how many people are on their staff etc, and how many submissions they actually get. I now have a contract for my novel, but about a year ago, it was rejected by Abbey. I don't know if that's any barometer of their discernment or not, but going by the above, I'd at least wait to see what happens.

JB

Very recently there has been yet another tale of dissatisfaction with Abbey. Let the buyer beware!

Richard.

I was taken in by Abbey too. I handed over my money in February and so far I have heard nothing. I note that they have stopped accepting submissions, emails are bouncing back and the phone never gets answered - I wrote to them asking for my money/manuscript back and needless to say I've received no reply.